Derrick Henry is Daytona Beach's new mayor

Wednesday

Nov 7, 2012 at 11:04 AM

EILEEN ZAFFIRO-KEANSTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH — Two years after being at the center of a State Attorney's Office probe into absentee ballot fraud and losing his City Commission seat, Derrick Henry has pulled off a dramatic political comeback and become the city's next mayor. Henry, who was cleared of all charges, racked up a solid 58 percent of votes with 123 of 125 precincts reporting Tuesday night, an unofficial tally that appeared to be enough to snuff out Edith Shelley's hopes of advancing from her Zone 1 City Commission post to the mayor's chair. Shelley, 56, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, pulled in just under 42 percent of votes. "We're excited," the 43-year-old Henry shouted over his supporters celebrating at a Daytona Beach hotel Tuesday night. "I'm very proud of having such a groundswell of people from the city supporting me. It was about people who really believed in me as a leader." Henry said he plans to run the government from "the ground up, not the top down." He said his top order of business will be helping the "core of the city that's been most neglected." Henry will be sworn in as mayor at next week's City Commission meeting. Henry, a lifelong Daytona Beach resident, will serve alongside his older brother, City Commissioner Patrick Henry, who won Derrick Henry's vacated Zone 5 seat in January 2011. Outgoing Mayor Glenn Ritchey has supported Shelley this campaign season, but congratulated both candidates Tuesday night. "I want to say congratulations to Derrick on his campaign and his win," said Ritchey, who decided not to seek re-election after six years in office. "I think both candidates ran a good campaign. It was clean. We're very proud of their willingness to serve and we're looking forward to a new City Commission leading Daytona Beach in a positive way in the next four years." Daytona Beach is also poised to get three newly elected city commissioners who'll be sworn in next week and will be leading the city along with the new mayor for the next four years. In Zone 1 — the post Shelley surrendered to run for mayor — Carl W. Lentz IV collected 53 percent of votes, enough to become the new commissioner for the southeast corner of the city. Challenger Ruth Trager had just under 47 percent, in unofficial results. Incumbent Zone 4 City Commissioner Rob Gilliland landed a third term by amassing nearly 71 percent of votes from the residents he represents on the west side of the city, topping Tom Kaczka, who gathered 29 percent. In Zone 6, which covers the central area of the city, the new commissioner will be 52-year-old Paula Reed, who tallied 57 percent of votes over 62-year-old Cathy Washington, who captured just under 43 percent. Henry was the commissioner of Zone 5, the north central section of the city, from 2008 until 2010. He won re-election in August 2010, but was forced out of his seat shortly after his October 2010 arrest on voter fraud and absentee ballot charges. Henry always denied he knowingly did anything wrong and had a solid showing in this year's primary race, finishing second in a field of four candidates. He finished with 34 percent of votes, and Shelley captured more than 39 percent. The State Attorney's Office looked into more questions raised about Henry and absentee ballots just after this year's primary in August, but a few weeks ago decided not to pursue an investigation. Zone 1 winner Lentz, director of commercial sales and leasing with Realty Pros Assured, will finish out the last two years of Shelley's term. The 36-year-old Lentz had run for a Daytona Beach City Commission seat one other time -- the Zone 5 seat two years ago -- and lost. The mayor gets an annual salary of $27,500, weekly expense payments of $246 and a cell phone stipend of $18.23 per week. The other two city commission winners will have four-year terms, and along with Lentz will receive $16,600 annual salaries as well as a $128 weekly expense allowance.